Monday, 19 October 2015

Official response to our campaign email

Further to the Mayor's written response to our demands in the Question posed by Darren Johnson AM we have also received a direct response from the Mayor's public liaison unit via email, copied in full below:

Dear Fred

Thank you for your petition to the Mayor about HGVs and
cycle safety. The Mayor is committed to improving cycling safety and is
particularly conscious of the dangers posed by Heavy Goods Vehicles
(HGVs) to cyclists. That is why he and Transport for London (TfL) have
taken a number of steps to address this issue.

HGVs, and
particularly construction vehicles, are involved in a disproportionate
number of fatal collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians. On 1
September 2015, London launched the UK's first Safer Lorry Scheme, which
is designed to protect these vulnerable road users. The scheme legally
requires every vehicle driving in London weighing more than 3.5 tonnes
to be fitted with basic safety equipment. Under London's scheme, most
vehicles that are currently exempt from national legislation for this
equipment, such as construction vehicles, will have to be retrofitted.
Class V and Class VI mirrors give the driver a better view of cyclists
and pedestrians around their vehicle. Side guards protect cyclists from
being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision.

As
part of the Safer Lorry Scheme launch, the Mayor also set out plans for
strengthening the scheme in the future. In January the Mayor will
consult on requiring further safety modifications including the
retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce driver blind
spots. Bigger side windows, in the lower panel of the cab door, give the
driver direct vision of any cyclist who may be alongside them, and can
be fitted to most lorries for around £1000. This consultation will be
complete and a decision taken before the Mayoral election. In the
meantime, as soon as the work can be physically completed, it will be
ensured that such windows are fitted to all vehicles undertaking work
for TfL, Crossrail, or any other member of the Greater London Authority
(GLA) family.

Extensive trials are also now being undertaken at
the Transport Research Laboratory of a variety of electronic sensors for
lorries, aiming to alert drivers to cyclists' presence. If any of these
devices are shown to offer significant and consistent benefits, it may
also be required that they be fitted to lorries in London.

Many
of the most dangerous vehicles are construction-related. For future
major construction projects, GLA planning powers will be used to
strictly prescribe the routes which HGVs serving them can follow -
requiring, for instance, that they avoid a road heavily used by cyclists
or take a route that minimises the number of left turns, the most
dangerous manoeuvre. Discussions with the London boroughs and the
construction industry have already started to ensure that this happens
as fast as possible.

Following the launch of the Mayor's Cycling
Vision for London in spring 2013, there has been a step change in the
approach to cycling facilities across London. Two new, substantially
segregated, high quality Cycle Superhighways will be built, running
east-west and north-south through Central London. Construction has begun
on the north-south route and on the first phase of the east-west route
with completion expected in spring 2016. The new Superhighways will
provide clear and convenient routes through London for cyclists,
physically separated from other vehicles.

Similarly, the Better
Junctions programme aims to improve safety at high profile junctions and
gyratories in London. Thirty-three locations have been identified where
significant improvements can be delivered for cyclists and other
vulnerable road users. TfL will deliver improvements at 10 of the 33
Better Junctions by May 2016. Consultations so far have included
Aldgate, Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Lancaster Gate, Oval,
Parliament Square and Tower Gateway. TfL is also trialling a range of
innovative cycle infrastructure measures including Dutch style
roundabouts and cycle priority junctions. A number of these innovations
have now gone live at Oval junction, including cyclist specific traffic
lights and a new 'hold the left turn' feature.

These programmes
dovetail very closely with what cyclists have been demanding. The Mayor
is committed to making progress as quickly as possible, while ensuring
that these improvements are done properly. Cycling safety has been and
will remain at the heart of the Mayor's administration and the Mayor is
determined to make things better for cyclists in London.

Thank you again for contacting the Mayor.

Yours sincerely

Mohammed Rahman
Public Liaison Unit

Dear Boris, Jennette, Caroline and Darren,

7 out of the 8 cyclist fatalities this year have
involved HGVs [1] and we need the mayor and GLA to
do more to protect cyclists and pedestrians. There are still
too many dangerous lorries and too many dangerous junctions in
London. We are calling for urgent action to reduce injuries
and deaths:

The construction industry must adopt 'CLOCS'
safety standards to prevent further deaths. Construction
industry HGVs have killed 5 cyclists this year already [3],
CLOCS safety standards should be made mandatory in every
public section construction contract in London.

Confidential reporting of bad practice needs
to be rolled out to all HGV drivers, irrespective of whether
their employer wants to take part [3].

Stronger enforcement. Operators must
never be allowed to put profits before lives by allowing
unlicensed, untrained lorry drivers, or unsafe vehicles, to
operate on our roads.

These urgent measures must be the starting point for a target
of zero lorry deaths on our streets. Safe segregated routes
will be key to eventually eliminating road danger but we must
start with action which can save lives in 2015-16.

This call comes from the Save Our Cyclists petition and has
been circulated to our supporters who have been encouraged to
contact you with their personal reasons for wanting action.
The petition currently has 37'946 signatures: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-cyclists

We would appreciate responses to this call and will publish
all the responses we receive on our blog and Facebook page.